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said by many concerning the same thing. He prayed these things, then, concerning the circumstance that still then encompassed him. But knowing that his first clothing in flesh and his birth from a female and a virgin was no worse a misfortune than that of death, at the right time in the midst of words about death he makes mention of his birth, saying to the Father: "for you are he who drew me out of the womb, my hope from my mother's breasts. Upon you I was cast from the womb, from my mother's belly you are my God." 10.8.57 And he appropriately brings up the memory of these things as a comfort for deliverance from the present circumstances. For just as, he says, you became my helper when I took on a human body, when also from the very womb that bore me you yourself, my God and my Father, as if acting as a midwife, drew out the flesh that had been prepared for me from the Holy Spirit, extending your own power, so that no ambush or plot from opposing powers and evil spirits, being envious of my coming to humankind, might occur; since also at the first conception you again "overshadowed" that which was in the womb, so that the conception of the holy virgin from the Holy Spirit might escape the notice of "the rulers of this age," 10.8.58 which great mystery your archangel Gabriel revealed to Mary, saying: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you," —just as then your power of the Most High overshadowed me when I was being conceived, and drew me out from my mother's womb when I was being born, so it is a great comfort to me that you will much more draw me up from death. 10.8.59 And hoping for this, I have trusted in you, my own God and Lord and Father, and I have trusted not beginning this hope in you now for the first time, but also when "from my mother's breasts" I was receiving infant nourishment and was thought to be imperfect and without reason, like the infants of men, though I was not such a one, even if my body was like that of humans, but in power and essence I was not like the many, but unrestrained and free, like your lamb, O God, and from that age being nursed, I mean "from my mother's breasts." 10.8.60 And one will not yet consider this a great thing, if he should learn that even earlier "upon you I was cast from the womb, and from my mother's belly you are my God." For while still being carried inside in the chamber of her who bore me, I saw you, my God, since I remained unconfused and untroubled in such a great communion of flesh, or rather being then incorporeal and free from all bonds; and so "upon you I was cast from the womb," and "from my mother's belly you" were "my God," so that my forerunner John perceived my power while I was still being carried by the holy virgin, and he himself being carried in Elizabeth's womb, so that, moved by my divinity, he leaped with exultation and was filled with the Holy Spirit. 10.8.61 Therefore, bringing up the memory of all these things, and at all times setting my God and my Father before my eyes, it is fitting also at the present time of the passion that surrounds me, when having become obedient to you, the Father, I have of my own accord and willingly become "a worm and not a man, a reproach of men and the outcast of the people," and now when "all those who see" my body being nailed to the cross, thinking it an abominable thing to see, "have mocked me," pouring out so much scorn and ridicule against me, as not only to reason and consider impious things about me in their minds, but also to speak fearlessly and talk openly. For "they spoke with their lips, they shook their heads," saying "He hoped in the Lord, let him deliver him," 10.8.62 and now indeed when such things have surrounded me, I beseech and implore you, my Father, who drew "me from my mother's womb," upon whom "I was cast from the womb," in whom I hoped "from the breasts," the God known to me and recognized by me even from my mother's womb, "do not depart from me, because affliction

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τοῖς πολλοῖς περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λεγόμενα. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν περὶ τῆς διαλαβούσης αὐτὸν εἰσέτι τότε περιστάσεως ηὔχετο. Εἰδὼς δὲ μὴ χείρονα οὖσαν τῆς τοῦ θανάτου συμφορᾶς τὴν πρώτην αὐτοῦ εἰς σάρκα ἔνδεσιν καὶ τὴν ἐκ θηλείας καὶ παρθένου γένεσιν, κατὰ καιρὸν ἐν τοῖς περὶ θανάτου τῶν τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ μνημονεύει, λέγων πρὸς τὸν πατέρα· «ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ἐκσπάσας με ἐκ γαστρός, ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἀπὸ μαστῶν τῆς μητρός μου. ἐπὶ σὲ ἐπερρίφην ἐκ μήτρας, ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου θεός μου εἶ σύ». 10.8.57 τούτων δὲ εἰκότως ἀναφέρει τὴν μνήμην εἰς παραμυθίαν τῆς τῶν παρόντων ἀπαλλαγῆς. ὥσπερ γάρ, φησίν, γέγονάς μου βοηθὸς σῶμα ἀνθρώπειον ἀναλαβόντος, ὅτε καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς κυοφορούσης με γαστρὸς σὺ αὐτὸς ὁ θεός μου καὶ πατήρ μου ὥσπερ μαιούμενος τὴν ἐμοὶ κατεσκευασμένην ἐξ ἁγίου πνεύματος σάρκα ἐξέσπασας, τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν ὀρέξας, ὡς ἂν μή τις ἐνέδρα καὶ ἐπιβουλὴ ἐξ ἀντικειμένων δυνάμεων καὶ πονηρῶν πνευμάτων διαφθονουμένων τῇ εἰς ἀνθρώπους παρόδῳ μου γένοιτο ἐπεὶ καὶ κατὰ τὴν πρώτην σύλληψιν σὺ πάλιν τὸ κατὰ γαστρὸς «ἐπεσκίασας», ὡς ἂν λάθοι «τοὺς ἄρχοντας τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου» ἡ ἐξ ἁγίου πνεύματος τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου σύλληψις, 10.8.58 ὅπερ μέγα μυστήριον ὁ σὸς ἀρχάγγελος ἐξέφηνεν Γαβριὴλ τῇ Μαρίᾳ εἰπών· «πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σέ, καὶ δύναμις ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοι», -ὥσπερ οὖν ἡ σὴ τότε τοῦ ὑψίστου δύναμις συλλαμβανόμενον μὲν ἐπεσκίασεν, τικτόμενον δὲ ἐξέσπασεν ἀπὸ γαστρὸς μητρός μου, οὕτω πολλή μοι τυγχάνει παραμυθία, ὅτι καὶ τοῦ θανάτου με πολὺ μᾶλλον ἀνασπάσεις. 10.8.59 καὶ τοῦτό γε ἐλπίζων ἐπὶ σὲ πέποιθα τὸν ἐμαυτοῦ θεὸν καὶ κύριον καὶ πατέρα, καὶ πέποιθα οὐ νῦν πρῶτον ἀρξάμενος τῆς εἰς σὲ ἐλπίδος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅτε «ἀπὸ μαστῶν μητρός μου» τὴν νηπιώδη τροφὴν ἀναλαμβάνων ἐνομιζόμην ὁμοίως τοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων βρέφεσιν ἀτελὴς εἶναι καὶ ἄλογος, μὴ ὤν γε τοιοῦτος, εἰ καὶ σῶμά μοι ὅμοιον ἀνθρώποις ἦν, ἀλλ' οὐ καὶ τὴν δύναμιν οὐδὲ τὴν οὐσίαν τοῖς πολλοῖς ὢν ἐμφερής, ἄνετος δὲ καὶ ἀπόλυτος, οἷά σου τοῦ θεοῦ ἀμνός, καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνης τῆς ἡλικίας γαλουχούμενος, λέγω δὴ «ἀπὸ μαστῶν τῆς μητρός μου». 10.8.60 καὶ οὔπω τοῦτο μέγα τις ἡγήσεται, εἰ μάθοι ὅτι καὶ ἔτι πρότερον «ἐπὶ σὲ ἐπερρίφην ἐκ μήτρας, καὶ ἀπὸ γαστρὸς μητρός μου θεός μου εἶ σύ». ἔτι γὰρ ἔνδον ἐν τῷ ταμείῳ τῆς κυοφορούσης με φερόμενος σὲ τὸν θεόν μου ἑώρων, ἅτε ἀσύγχυτος καὶ ἀθόλωτος ἐν τῇ τοσαύτῃ τῶν σαρκῶν κοινωνίᾳ διαμείνας, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀσώματος καὶ τότε ὢν καὶ πάντων ἐλεύθερος δεσμῶν· οὕτως δὲ «ἐπὶ σὲ ἐπερρίφην ἐκ μήτρας», καὶ «ἀπὸ γαστρὸς μητρὸς θεός μου» ἦσθα, ὡς αἰσθέσθαι με τῆς ἐμῆς δυνάμεως ἔτι κυοφορουμένης πρὸς τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου τὸν ἐμὸν πρόδρομον Ἰωάννην, καὶ αὐτὸν κατὰ γαστρὸς τῆς Ἐλισαβὲτ κυοφορούμενον, ὥστε ὑπὸ τῆς ἐμῆς θεότητος κινηθέντα σκιρτῆσαι ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει καὶ πνεύματος ἁγίου πλησθῆναι. 10.8.61 Τούτων οὖν ἁπάντων ἀναφέρων τὴν μνήμην, καὶ διὰ παντὸς τὸν θεόν μου καὶ πατέρα μου πρὸ τῶν ἐμῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τιθέμενος, εἰκότως καὶ κατὰ τὸν ἐνεστῶτα τοῦ περιέχοντός με πάθους καιρόν, ὅτε σοὶ τῷ πατρὶ γενόμενος ὑπήκοος, αὐθαίρετος καὶ ἑκὼν γέγονα «σκώληξ καὶ οὐκ ἄνθρωπος, ὄνειδος ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἐξουδένημα λαοῦ», καὶ νῦν ὅτε «πάντες οἱ θεωροῦντές» μου τὸ σῶμα τῷ σταυρῷ προσηλούμενον, ἀποτρόπαιον ἡγούμενοι ὁρᾶν πρᾶγμα, «ἐξεμυκτήρισάν με», τοσαύτην κατ' ἐμοῦ χλεύην καὶ διασυρμὸν καταχέοντες, ὡς μὴ μόνον ἐν διανοίᾳ λογίζεσθαι καὶ ἐνθυμεῖσθαι περὶ ἐμοῦ τὰ ἀσεβῆ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀφόβως φθέγγεσθαι καὶ ἐν φανερῷ λαλεῖν «ἐλάλησαν» γοῦν «ἐν χείλεσιν, ἐκίνησαν κεφαλήν», λέγοντες «ἤλπισεν ἐπὶ κύριον, ῥυσάσθω αὐτόν», 10.8.62 καὶ νῦν γοῦν ὅτε τὰ τοιαῦτά με περιέστηκεν, σὲ τὸν πατέρα μου τὸν ἐκσπάσαντά «με ἐκ γαστρὸς μητρός μου», ἐφ' ὃν «ἐπερρίφην ἐκ μήτρας», εἰς ὃν ἤλπισα «ἀπὸ μαστῶν», τὸν καὶ ἀπὸ γαστρὸς μητρός μου γνωριζόμενόν μοι καὶ γινωσκόμενον θεὸν ἱκετεύω καὶ ἀντιβολῶ «μὴ ἀποστῆναι ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι θλῖψις